5 Cultivators

''Come on, get up, worm.'' Krull laughed, looking down on Nero sprawled on the ground. He was covered in blood.

''Who's behind you? Why are you doing this?!'' Nero tried looking tough, but his despairing eyes ruined it all.

''You like talking, don't ya? Too bad, I didn't bring you here for a little chatter. Lift your ass, worm. Everybody's watching.'' Krull was a thin young man with sword-like eyebrows and confident countenance. His right leg was lifted in the air, drawing circles.

Since the start of the battle, he had only used his right leg, yet Nero was thrashed to this state. Not only were Krull's leg attacks swift and precise, but they were also powerful!

''Hey, the fight's cool an' all, but, there sure has to be a reason behind it?'' Someone commented from the crowd. He looked like someone who couldn't get excited for battle, lest there was some dramatic story behind it.

''I dunno. Ask around, others might know.'' Came the answer.

But the thing was, nobody knew the reason behind this fight.

Of course, Carmine was prepared for such a thing. He had hired some people to spread fake news to confuse Avi and redirect the attention. He was also alerted and on guard against her response. If the whole thing was orchestrated by her, then she would surely retaliate.

She was also bound to use underhanded methods considering her personality and the fact, that he was already at the 3rd stage of Qi condensation, about to break through the middle phase of the realm, in which case, his power would skyrocket. She couldn't directly harm him.

If there was no response from her, then she was unaware of her underlings' doings and Carmine would let her go, but there was still a need to have people, who constantly kept an eye on her. She was dangerous, especially to Sara.

Carmine coldly watched the fight, concealing himself behind the cloak. He also noticed Avi, who was searching for something or someone with her eyes, so he quickly hid behind the person in front of him.

''Ah!'' Nero screamed as the crescent kick lifted him up in the air. Before he could even fall, the figure appeared behind him and shot his leg up 180 degrees, striking Nero's back like a hammer.

Nero's chest deformed. Spitting blood, he plummeted down, but before he could reach the floor, a ruthless kick came to his face. The horrific sound of his skull cracking rang as his powerless body was flung to the edge of the arena.

The last thing he saw with his blurry eyes was the cheering crowd...and a familiar face. It was Ren, who was watching him with gloating expression, dressed in robes, only showing his face.

'It...was...you...' Nero died with grievances as his eyes dimmed. He had a feeling Ren had something to do with his misfortune, but his brain was unable to process anything further as he plunged into the dark world.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Nero's bloodstained figure never got up from the edge of the arena. Soon, some people came and dragged the corpse out. Krull was declared the winner by the elderly overlooker.

The crowd dispersed as they discussed excitedly.

Not many people noticed how Krull removed the ring from Nero's finger. After all, it was common for the life and death match winner to take the loser's belongings, like pouch where spirit-stones were kept and the weapon in their possession.

Avi noticed it! 'That ring...' Her eyes flashed with uncertainty as she had a feeling she had seen it somewhere. Her eyes lit up in realization as she remembered! 'When Nero came begging to me yesterday, he wore the similar ring. That ring...' Avi's eyes contracted as she remembered all the crucial pieces of information.

To humiliate Ren, she had visited the place of servant disciples several times. On one of her trips, she had noticed these rings on the pair of sisters. At that time, she liked the rings, but thinking they were just normal mortal items, she disdained them.

Her recollection with the pair of sisters didn't stop there, though. She knew Carmine was acting strangely, lately. With her intuition, she guessed something and sent some eyes and ears everywhere, which one day brought her some unreliable information. She planned to investigate more, as she had her eyes on a few people, but it appears there was no need for that, anymore.

'Carmine, my dear, so this is the game you're playing.' She smiled slightly, but anger and indignation were concealed behind her eyes.

''Ah, I know who's behind all this. Dear, you have to avenge me!'' She cried as she hugged the bulky arm of the hunky man standing by her side.

''Hahaha, tell me who he is and I'll bash their skull in.'' The man laughed unrestrainedly. Avi cried on his shoulder, spilling crocodile tears for a while, before showing her pitiful puppy eyes at the man. ''Do you remember my ex-lover?''

The man's expression turned fierce as he growled. ''Is it the flower boy who used to abuse you? Good, I was planning to get back at him anyway. So, it's him?''

Avi nodded.

''Good then. Let's not put it off any longer.'' After finishing his words, the man leaped in the air and landed on the martial arena with one step.

''Carmine, I challenge you to life and death duel!'' The booming voice erupted, causing the dispersing crowd to stop in their tracks.

* * * * * * * * * *

Ren felt complicated emotions well up inside him as he stared at Nero's corpse.

Even as he was the schemer, he didn't know the whole story behind his enemies' death, which unsettled him. All he knew, was that the wearer of the white ring was bound to die and he just made it so his enemy was wearing the ring.

Not only did Nero die, but his gang was also annihilated in cold blood. Even if outer disciple murdered a servant disciple, the punishment was light - a monetary pay was enough.

He really wanted to know the truth behind the story, but it wasn't an option.

''The show's over, I guess. How did it feel?'' Fatty asked concernedly.

''Let's go.'' Ren shook his head, disinterested to stick to the topic.

''Carmine, I challenge you to life and death duel!''

Just as they were leaving, a powerful voice boomed in their ears.

''Who's that?'' Ren asked.

''It's actually senior brother Dorian, I met him once. He's an inner disciple at the 4th level of Qi condensation. As for Carmine...I've never heard of him.'' The fatty commented.

Ren frowned, somehow feeling this all had something to do with the ring. It was only a gut feeling though. ''Let's go back.'' He said.

''Of course, we go back! It's rare to see powerful people fight.'' Fatty jumped excitedly.

'Good grief, this fellow has some space left in his brain for something which isn't food.' Ren stifled his laugh.

* * * * * * * * * *

Carmine's expression was ugly. 'So she's the mastermind, after all!' He thought in anger.

He unclenched his fist, where a white exquisite ring was lying peacefully. It was secretly handed to him.

He hoped this would be the end of it, but it seems, his fears came true. There was no way Avi could trace back to him if she didn't know the whole thing in the first place.

Watching the 2 meters tall, bald figure imposingly standing on the arena, he hesitated. They weren't on the same level. He could refuse to go up, but this didn't sit well with him. He felt the obligation to finish things he had started.

He took a step forward, then another...

The crowd noticed him, as he approached the arena with even steps.

Waving his hand, he got rid of the robe and uncovered his identity.

''Oh my God! It's Carmine, is he going to accept the challenge?''

''But their levels are too far apart? What is he thinking?''

Carmine was quite well known as he was in the top 3 of the strongest outer disciples.

''Hahaha, good, you're here. I thought you were gonna chicken out from seeing this daddy over here.'' Dorian laughed unrestrainedly, his hands crossed in front of his chest.

Carmine glanced at Avi, who stared at him with a poisonous smirk from below the arena, then calmly stared back at imposing Dorian.

''All muscles, no brain.'' He commented, causing the change in Dorian's expression.

''You're asking for it!'' Dorian cracked his neck and knuckles.

''He's provoking Dorian? He has guts!'' A man exclaimed from the crowd. The others weren't less surprised and riled up.

Carmine got up on the arena and stared back at Dorian with unrelenting eyes, not regarding his arrogant expression.

Suddenly, a feeble-looking elderly man landed between them, as light as a feather.

''The match...begins!'' He said hoarsely and jumped back to the edge of the arena.

''Let's see if your fists are as sharp as your tongue, twerp.'' Dorian harrumphed as his muscles bulged.

...

''You move like a gorilla.''

''Your attacks are predictable.''

''What's the use of strength if it doesn't hit?''

Carmine dodged Dorian's heavy fists. Meanwhile, his words served to agitate him further. This way, his attacks would become more predictable and hence, easier to dodge.

''Senior brother actually has an upper hand?''

''I never knew he was so fierce? He can even overcome a difference in realms!'' Someone exclaimed in admiration.

It was uncommon to see someone beating an opponent with stronger attributes. Martial skills, battle sense, treasures, consumables...they were all capable of aiding one overcoming the difference in raw power, but technically, both sides could deploy these tricks.

Moreover, higher realm cultivator has the ability to display combat value increasing tricks better.

Carmine and Dorian were only separated by 1 small realm, Carmine being at the 3rd stage of Qi Condensation, whereas Dorian at 4th level. However, the difference between the two was rather large, because 1st-3rd stages are considered the early stage of Qi Condensation. 3rd stage is the first major bottleneck a cultivator must face and if overcome, the change in power is accordingly great.

''Dance, dance little monkey! Let's see who gets tired first.'' Roaring, Dorian wildly threw punches, veins bulging on his forehead.

At one glance, Carmine appeared to have an upper hand. He seemed to be toying with his opponent, closely dodging every attack thrown at him, but in truth, he wasn't as relaxed as he seemed. To keep up with Dorian, he had to constantly push his agility skill to the max. His every movement was calculated. One mistake and he was gonna suffer and not lightly at that...

''Humph, you're not half bad, but don't get cocky. I was just warming up.'' Dorian snorted.

Black leather gloves appeared near his chest. Swiftly grabbing them, he smoothly put them on in fast motion.

Carmine frowned, sensing fierce and dangerous aura emanating from the gloves.

''As expected of Inner disciple. Not only does he possess a legendary spatial ring, but also a low-Human grade treasure! Senior brother Dorian sure is rich.'' An outer disciple commented enviously.

''Humph, so what?! If I was an inner disciple and had a master, I would be rich too.'' An outer disciple with short stature scoffed at the man, not wanting to admit inferiority.

''You? An inner disciple? Are you even qualified?'' A voice full of mockery rang, coming from the previous person.

''You...!'' The outer disciple with short stature was enraged but was unable to refute the other. His talent was low and being 21 years old, he was already quite old now. Even if he broke through his bottleneck and reached the 4th stage of Qi Condensation, and hence, qualifying to become an inner disciple, he wouldn't be favored by elders because of his lacking talent.

The most he could reach was probably an outer court elder's position and this was already a stretch. ''Humph.'' Snorting, he ignored the other man, secretly remembering his face and keeping a grudge in his heart.

Such things weren't uncommon. Many cultivators tended to be prideful as their power distinguished them from billions of mortals. It was especially because of this pride they possessed, it hurt so much to realize their prospects were low.

The feeling of others leaving them behind was unbearable because it trampled their inflated pride. And then, such people tended to get jealous and petty over the smallest things...

The crowd chattered as the atmosphere turned more serious. The battle intensified. Neither side was holding back anymore. The loud, incessant clashing and ruthless attacks displayed kept the spectators on edge. People with lower cultivation concentrated on the battle with the utmost concentration, learning from the battle.

Ren was also in the crowd, watching the battle with interest. With his heightened perception he was able to keep up with their rapid exchange without missing a beat. 'I can see their moves, but if I stood there, forced to cope with their attacks, I'm afraid my body won't be able to keep up.' He sighed in regret.

Unbeknownst to him, his palms clenched into fists. His blood boiled while his desire to possess power grew stronger. Only with absolute power would he be the master of himself and his fate!

In fact, keeping up with their pace with his perception at his current level was already good enough, but evidently, it wasn't worth mentioning.

What use did your perception have, when you knew the arrow was coming to take your life if you weren't fast enough to dodge it?

What use did the knowledge of the sage signify if he was unable to put his wiseness into practice?

Nothing, it was all worth nothing!

In the end, neither knowledge nor power meant anything on their own, but both...

Ren already possessed terrifying perceptive abilities. Despite his bitter life experiences, his willpower remained unchanged, and instead, it became stronger. His endurance and mentality exceeded that of many adults.

He never lost his pride. The determination to walk the path he had chosen despite all the difficulties made him unwavering. As a result, his soul was stronger than that of others and his talent was no longer what it used to be.

While Ren was solidifying his resolve in his heart, the battle intensified. Carmine drew his own low-human grade sword and revealed his excellent swordsmanship. Despite that, he no longer appeared to have an advantage.

Dorian possessed innate physical power. After equipping himself with the black leather gloves, his power and speed were enchanted further. Speed was also a kind of power. If coupled with powerful attacks, its deadliness would be on whole new level.

Constantly being on the losing side didn't tear down Carmine's spirit, however. His eyes contained firm resolve as he fought back.

Ren sighed, shaking his head. He already determined the results of the battle. Carmine was putting up a good fight, but if things went as they were now, he was bound to exhaust himself.

In a fight, if both sides were roughly equal in power, or neither side scored a massive advantage, their clash was bound to turn into a battle of attrition. In this case, the one who showed the shortage of energy first was going to lose.

Dorian's realm was higher than Carmine's, so he possessed more vigorous energy. Besides, he seemed to possess inexhaustible physical power of a bull. After ten minutes of battle, he didn't appear a least bit exhausted, but instead, he was getting faster and stronger.

Worst of all, Ren detected the dark aura coming from Carmine. He was going to be killed sooner or later...

Ren didn't know what he was thinking. Why did he agree to fight a losing battle with his life at stake?

''Are all outer disciples this hotheaded?'' He started looking down on outer disciples a little. Fighting a strong opponent with no hopes of beating them wasn't courage but stupidity.

*Bang

On the arena, Dorian's fist covered in sturdy gloves collided against Carmine's sharp sword edge. Not only was he not injured from the sword hack, but Carmine was blasted off a few steps instead.

Carmine staggered a few steps, unsteadily stabilizing his footing. Sweat drenched his reddened face as he panted heavily. His eyes, which had no signs of giving up were firmly fixed on Dorian.

''Heh,'' Dorian grunted mockingly and followed up with another powerful attack.

A slight hesitation flashed by Carmine's face, but in the end, his expression turned determined. With a wave of his hand, a bright red pill appeared in his hand, which he quickly popped in his mouth.

*Crunch

A low, crisp sound echoed. Carmine's aura suddenly rose sharply. His pupils took crimson hue, gleaming dangerously.

Suddenly, Carmine firmly got hold of the handle of his sword and swept twice as fast as compared to before. A mere shockwave from his quick strike was enough to leave a deep mark on the tree trunk. But this attack wasn't directed at an object, but Dorian instead.

*Clang!

An unpleasant screeching sound rang as Dorian was suddenly pushed back as a result of his glove and Carmine's sword colliding. His palm covered in sturdy gloves now dripped blood. ''What?!'' Aghast, he shouted in disbelief, staring at Carmine in shock and a hint of fear. The sudden reversal caught him off guard.

Suddenly, he remembered the small red pill, which Carmine took moments ago while he was unleashing a frenzy of punches without a care in this world. ''You're cheating!'' Dorian shouted, his face contorted.

The thin elder frowned slightly but didn't interfere. Using pills wasn't really prohibited in the arena. Owning wealth was also a form of strength.

To seek fairness in everything as a cultivator was a joke. Wasn't it unfair for mortals that cultivators could decide their fate? How many were given an opportunity to join the sect? Was it fair to them? No...

The reversal quickly caught everyone's attention. Many people already concluded that battle had no more suspense. Carmine was going to lose unless he had a killer move, but if he had one, he would have already shown it by now.

''How did he suddenly become so powerful?'' Someone inquired in the crowd.

''Hehe, did you notice a red flash just now? I can't be mistaken, that was mid-human grade 'berserk pill.' Only rank 1 alchemy master can concoct it and the success chance is less than 10%! I'm surprised he got hold of this pill.'' The nerdy looking guy in the crowd of spectators explained somewhat too excitedly.

People cast him strange glances. Such detailed knowledge of pills wasn't common in outer disciples. That guy was either from a wealthy family, in possession of many precious pills, or he was studying to become an alchemy apprentice. Either way, he wasn't someone they could offend.

Occupations like blacksmith and alchemist had very high status. Offending people who had the talent or some achievement in such prestigious professions was no joke. With a bit of effort on their side, they had the ability to deploy countless people. Everyone was in need of pills and treasures. Befriending such a person was going to yield more benefit than offending them.

Of course, such thoughts only appeared on the people who didn't know the guy.

''Haha, senior brother is amazing. From a dozen meters, with just half a glance, he was able to determine the pill and its value. Senior brother will surely become an amazing alchemist.''

The people who already knew him smiled and praised him as soon as he finished his words, causing an excited smile to surface on his face.

''Our sect only has one rank 1 alchemy grandmaster and couple of rank 1 alchemy masters. We're still better off than many other neighboring sects, but with me, hehe, things are gonna be different.'' The nerdy guy guffawed loudly.

Seeing his confidence, people became more respectful and careful around him. Nobody even cared if he was bragging or not. Even if he wasn't as outstanding as he claimed himself to be, his confidence couldn't be completely unfounded.

It was stupid to brag without capability. This was only going to bring more trouble. Even idiots wouldn't be willing to show off without a little backbone.

''Ahha, so he had a card up his sleeves. Not bad, it's no longer certain he will lose.'' A young man, who previously appeared disinterested flashed a smile and once again focused on the battle.

The tides have suddenly turned. Carmine's strength made a huge leap, even surpassing Dorian's a little. His speed coupled with now enhanced strength quickly put Dorian in a miserable state.

His increased power was the result of taking the berserk pill. The pill worked better when one's body was on the brink of collapse. It seems this was the reason Carmine was dragging out the fight, or he might not have had any other choice in the first place. Nevertheless, his power was stimulated for a period of time. Now was the time to truly go all out!

As the nerdy guy said, it was a great feat to obtain such precious life-saving pill as a mere outer disciple. If he wasn't pushed to the edge, he would have most definitely not used it.

The pill wasn't without a side effect, however. After the surge of power reached its peak, the user would be weakened for quite some time. Carmine couldn't afford to drag out the battle. His every attack was ruthless to the extreme, aiming for the vitals. Sometimes he even disregarded his safety simply to land a strike and injure the enemy. This truly put Dorian in a miserable state, where he had to passively defend, appearing helter-skelter.

''Bastard!'' Avi bit her fingers hatefully glaring at Carmine, who was now suppressing Dorian. ''Isn't he back yet?'' She screeched at her new subordinate.

''H, he'll be back in a while. Soon, soon, ha, haha~'' The frightened servant disciple squeezed out an ugly smile and reported with his back bent.

''Fuck off!'' Meanwhile, on the arena, Dorian shouted angrily. He was fending off against Carmine who was going at him like a beast pouncing on its prey. His tanned skin had many bloody cuts. His bronze chest even had a deep gash left by sword slash. Carmine appeared to have lost his mind, but his attacks were sometimes tricky and angled shrewdly. If Dorian wasn't careful, he would have been turned into a beehive by now.

He was careful, but not careful enough, though. The many injuries had already slightly weakened him. He had even used his two flashy low-human grade martial skills consecutively, but he was unable to regain his advantage. Now he was at his wit's end, as if things kept on going this way, he would undoubtedly lose not just a match, but his also his life!

The sense of desperation crawled up in his heart, which somehow triggered his potential. The muscles slightly bulged on his shoulders while veins wriggled under his skin. His body which already possessed high physical power and vitality almost comparable to a normal beast entered hyperactivity state. His heart pumped blood through his veins at exaggerated speed. ''Haaaaa! I'll kill you!''

Dorian rose his fist and smashed it down on Carmine's head. Carmine, who was about to exploit this opening to deal a deadly blow was forced to defend, sensing a force which would crush his head into a pulp if left unguarded.

*Clang!!!

The metal screeched piercingly. Carmine was almost brought down to his knees from pressure.

''Carmine was actually suppressed in his berserk state!'' Someone exclaimed excitedly.

This battle was simply too exciting, full of ups and downs. Now everyone was truly immersed in it, curiously waiting for the victor to be decided.

''Kill him, dear! Execute that vile beast!'' Avi cheered, excited for Dorian who regained his footing.

Once again, the favor of battle shifted. Carmine was pounded into a miserable state before long, which drew gasps from the crowd.

They wondered how he was even standing, but Carmine knew he couldn't fall. If he fell, what would happen to his loved one? He couldn't allow someone to hurt her!

When a man was cornered, they would explode with their power, but when they had someone to protect, they could surpass their limits.

He still had a place to return to, someone to care for, hence, he couldn't fall here!

''AAAAAHHHHH!!!'' Suddenly, Carmine emitted a hoarse bestial howl, once again pushing back Dorian, who had regained his dominance.

The surrounding air was vacuumed and compressed in his direction.

''He...he's actually breaking through!'' Someone shouted crazily.

''Un...unbelievable!'' Cheers erupted from all sides.

If an average mortal saw a scene of people loudly cheering for others' death, they would be frightened out of their wits, but this was the life of cultivators.

Battle! Battle! More battle! They loved to battle! They loved to obtain riches and chase unattainable goddesses with their own power, which they struggled to obtain step by step!

They wanted others to admire their strength. They wanted others to bow to them. They wanted to possess unlimited strength. They sought entertainment in war. They wished to obtain unlimited lifespan. They had the ambition to leave their legacy, which would leave their mark in this world for hundreds, thousands of years, for generations to come!

Some may call them heroes. Some may call them beasts. Some may call them immortals.

But they were simply, cultivators...